Let’s Celebrate

There is a whole lot to celebrate today, and I’m happy you could stop by to join in on the party.

Celebrating Sweetness

First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who submitted their video entry for the “Sweet” contest we ran with our good friends over at Sweet Leaf Tea. Based right here in Austin, Texas….it’s the best dang tea and lemonade you’ll ever taste. And you should know me well enough to know that I wouldn’t say it unless I meant it.

Seeing as it was a video submission contest, it’s only fitting that the winner be announced via video as well.

Congratulations dude, I appreciate the time and effort that went into that video (we’ve got it posted for you down below). Thanks again to all of you who submitted your videos….I’m glad it was Charla and April from Sweet Leaf and not me who had to make the final choice.

Self Celebration

Three days ago, on February 6th, Loving the Bike celebrated it’s first year in the biz. Instead of talking about all the wicked cool stuff that went on this past year, I’d like to celebrate all the great things that will come in the year ahead.

New Look – Last week, we booked ourself in for a little bloggosphere plastic surgery….and what you see here is our new look. If you run a blog, you probably understand the craving to change and update your site…..right? Well, it was a lot of fun and I’m pretty sure more updates and changes will be coming over the next year. Please be sure to hit us up with your comments on how we can make the site better, more navigable, and just plain more awesome.

Sponsors – As the new kid on the cycling blog block, we didn’t actively go after a lot of sponsorship in our first year. We did have some great partners that helped us out and provided support, and we are so thankful for all the companies that were a part of Loving the Bike’s first year. Now that we’ve been able to make a name for ourselves, companies have taken notice. So be prepared for some new advertising on the blog…but rest assured that I will not let it take away from the organic and raw goodness that we’ve got going on over here.

Stevie Dexter – One of the many people we became friends with this first year is my Twitter pal, @StevieDexter. We introduced him on Loving the Bike when he guest posted about the 2011 London Bike Show. He’ll be back this year and playing the role of our UK correspondent….Awesome. He’ll be covering all the cool cycling events over there, and even making the trip over to France for this year’s TdF. Keep your eyes peeled for that one.

Crank Listed – Last June we held our first ever Crank Honors, celebrating the best cycling blogs on the internet. Our directory of World Cycling Blogs continues to grow and now includes over 400 sites. This years event is going to be epic and we wish all the cycling blogs out there, good luck.

Loving the Bike Army – My friend, @trimon29, was the one who labeled our t-shirt wearers the Loving the Bike Army….and what a fine group of soldiers they are. Our “Enjoy Your Ride” t-shirts and baby outfits are now being worn in 6 different Countries, and by some of the most fantastic supporters on the planet. I’ve dubbed @trimon29 and @PedalmanTO my trusted Sergeants who will help me grow this army and become even stronger.

Awesome contest Darryl. It was fun to make the video. Thanks for putting the competition on Sweet Leaf Tea you rock. I’m stoked to get to Austin and meet all of you guys. When I get there I’ll be figuring out who to donate the prize to. The riding is somewhat windy and desolate right now. Northern AZ and NM are beautiful but man can that wind blow. There were so many awesome videos posted great job to everyone who took the time to make a video. Congratulations @lovingthebike for your year bump. Keep the cycling community strong and thanks for all the hard work you do.

There are a lot of bamboo manufacturers and a lot of them will be here for #NAHBS (are you going?). Bamboo Cyclist rides a http://zambikes.com/. I’ll be doing a post on Bamboo Cyclist and Bamboo Bikes in the near future…..keep your eyes peeled for that one. They are sort of the rage right now.

My question is other than juice, can you suggest modifications in lieu of table sugar for energy and hydration.

Answer:

Both raw/organic honey or agave can work great in the homebrew (substitute in the same quantities for the sugar, or to taste), but you do have to shake well in order to make sure they don’t settle out. Have you tried either of these? Also, make sure to use at least the minimum amount of salt recommended in the homebrew as the temps rise, you need the sodium replacement if you’re sweating.